Canoe slalom: Hawke's Bay teen Jaimee Wilson lands national coaching award

Jaimee Wilson (in boat) with from left Jade Coleman, Eva Ronberg, Grace Dooney, Charlie Evans and Michelle Priest. Photo/Paul Taylor

Expect to hear plenty about Hawke's Bay canoe slalom paddler Jaimee Wilson for many years to come,

When the talented 17-year-old Taradale High School student eventually retires from competing she is likely to make an impact as a coach at international level. Her coaching feats were recognised when she became the inaugural winner of the Volunteer Coach of the Year award at the prizegiving following the recent New Zealand open nationals in Kawerau.

"I've coached canoe slalom teams at AIMS Games level for the last three years and at the Hawke's Bay Canoe Club for the past year," Wilson recalled.

Wilson, fellow Taradale High School student Grace Dooney and Napier Girls' High School's Eva Ronberg formed the Hawke's Bay under-18 girls K1 team which won gold in Kawerau. She also secured bronze in the under-18 C1 and K1 events.

At the national secondary schools champs in Kawerau, which finished three days before the open nationals began, Wilson, who considers K1 her specialist event, won a share of the trophy for the best under-18 female paddler with paddlers from Rotorua and Alexandra and the trophy for the best overall female K1 paddler and the trophy for the under-18 down river race champion.

She also collected three second placings, in the in the under-18 C1, C2 with Dooney and the open extreme slalom, and three thirds, in the under-18 K1, under-18 C2 mixed with Hastings Boys' High School's Will Mellors, and in the under-18 girls K1 teams event with Dooney and fellow Taradale High School student Jade Coleman.

"I was stoked to tick off most of my goals at nationals and these were my first nationals where I gave C1 a crack," Wilson explained.

"It was tough work preparing for nationals as I lost my training partner," she said referring to New Zealand representative and former Taradale High School student Casey Hales, who left the Bay this year to attend university in Palmerston North.

"It was also good to do as well as I could in my final year at under-18 level before going up to the under-23 grade next year," Wilson said.

The daughter of former New Zealand canoe polo representative Kirsten Demanser-Wilson and former top multisporter Kent Wilson, she intends to go to university next year but has yet decide where and what studies she will pursue.

She started canoe slalom three years ago and has played canoe polo since her primary school days.

Wilson is already in the New Zealand Performance squad for canoe slalom. In June she will travel to Europe to compete in three Under-18 World Cup events in Poland, Austria and Germany.

"I'll aim for top 10 finishes over there," Wilson said.

Ronberg also collected a silver in the under-16 girls down river race at the secondary school nationals.

At the open nationals Dooney scored bronze medals in the under-16 girls K1 final and open women's extreme slalom final.

Taradale High School's Charlie Evans and Napier Girls' High School's Michelle Priest were also in the Bay team at the secondary school nationals and Mellors and Priest also competed at the open nationals.

Hawke's Bay team manager Phil Dooney, of Taradale High School, said the Bay contingent again exceeded expectations at the secondary schools nationals.

"While we lose Jaimee [Wilson] and Michelle [Priest] next year the remainder of the students are either juniors or intermediates so there are good signs for the future. If we don't have the top under-18 female paddler next year there's a good chance we will in 2021," Dooney said.

He also pointed out there was a good chance Hawke's Bay will host the national secondary school champs near Lake Waikaremoana next year.

"In 2021 New Zealand will host the under-23 and under-18 world championships in Auckland. There should more than a few Hawke's Bay Canoe Club paddlers involved in those," he added.